The story of the statue of the Madonna, located on the property of St Mary Church, facing Chestnut Street, begins with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Veronica Clark.  They were parishioners of the then St Mary Parish, and parents of 9 children.

In 1949, Thomas became gravely ill and was hospitalized.  Doctors told Veronica the illness was of a serious enough nature that she should prepare for his death.  Veronica had a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.  She prayed that the Blessed Mother would intercede for her husband's recovery and that he live long enough to see their son, Paul, who was in the seminary, ordained a priest.  Paul was to complete studies and be ordained in 1950.  In her prayer, she promised to have a stature in Mary’s honor erected for their parish.  Shortly after her prayer request, a visiting doctor arrived in Dover to examine Thomas.  His findings were that Thomas was completely recovered.  Thomas was discharged from the hospital and lived, not only to his son’s ordination, but to enjoy recovery until his death in 1955.

In keeping with her promise, a statue of Mary was purchased at a considerable sacrifice to the family.  Thomas had been an insurance salesman and Veronica was a stay at home mom.  The purchase of the statue was a true sacrifice and was intended to be an anonymous gift.  Due to construction at the church, the same construction that uncovered the former St Aloysius burial ground located on the grounds of St Mary, the statue remained crated for several years.  The delay in setting the statue gave time for confusion, and even misinformation to develop, as to how the statue had been obtained, who had donated it and why.  After several requests, Veronica conceded to allowing the Clark family to be identified as the donor during the dedication as a testament to the power of prayer.

The history of the statue was provided by Sue McLain, grand-daughter of Thomas and Veronica Clark, as it was told to her by her father, Bob Clark.